Basma Beauty Review | My Favourite Basma Products

I was so excited a few months ago when BASMA Beauty sent me some product gifting through ShopMy! Side note – you can use my referral here if you want to sign up – definitely the easiest affiliate platform I have tried! Anyway, I was patiently waiting for a Sephora sale to pick up the bronzer anyway so was super grateful to get it as well as the blush, foundation stick and some lip liners!  

BASMA Beauty is a Canadian brand founded by Basma Hameed, a burn survivor who pioneered Scar Camouflage, a medical pigmentation treatment that uses the same principles as permanent makeup to tattoo scar tissue. With clinics in Toronto and LA, she then set out to create a makeup line that was truly inclusive in both shade range and coverage. 

Starting with the OG product in the line – the Foundation Stick in the shade 035* – and this is a super creamy, blendable and buildable foundation stick. My only history with foundation sticks is a brief dabble with the Max Factor Pan Stik back in the day which wasn't for me as I found it hard to get a good shade match and the formula was too thick for my liking so I was a little apprehensive to try this at first! I used Findation to get my shade match which I find to be a pretty reliable matching system when you can’t get into a store to match yourself or swatch! The shade 035 is for light skin with neutral undertones and is an excellent match for me! I draw directly onto my face with the stick then use a dense foundation brush to blend and the formula melts in easily! It’s got buildable coverage and doesn't feel heavy or cakey and I haven't experienced any oxidising! It wears well for the full day and doesn't settle into fine lines or emphasize any dry patches or texture I have! The finish is skin like, but my base looks perfected, and I still use a little powder to set this as I have combo skin. Overall, very impressed with this!  

 

The Bronzer in Light* had been on my wishlist for a while and I am OBSESSED! The shade is a perfect neutral bronzer for me and the formula is great – it comes in four shades total. It doesn’t kick up a lot of powder or leave me with too much blending to do, I love it! It’s buttery soft and leaves a satin-matte finish, and you can build up the colour easily! It’s been my go-to bronzer this summer – see my Sumer Beauty Essentials here!    

The Cream Blush in Peach* is another love! There are a few shades, and this one is a warm-toned sun-kissed peach that is so flattering on my skin! I like to apply with a brush over powder to add a little dew back into my skin - it lasts all day without fading for me! It is a balm-like cream formula and it’s easy to build up the colour, giving me a healthy flush! It doesn't feel sticky or greasy and doesn't disturb my base either, just gives a beautiful lit from within finish!  

The Lip Lock Liner in 01* (warm rose nude) and 03* (warm caramel) are matte lip liners that glide on easily with no tugging and are smudge, water and transfer proof! They last through eating and drinking for me and I just line and fill my lips and put a little gloss on top! They are meant to last 8+ hours and while I do get a good amount of time out of them, because I put a gloss on top and inevitably top up as I am a gloss/lip balm addict and have an automatic habit, I don't get quite that long out of them but I am OK with that! They are comfortable to wear, transfer-proof and creamy, easy to sharpen and there is no feathering!   

Unedited swatches l-r: The Foundation in 035, The Bronzer in Light, The Cream Blush in Peach,The lip Lock Liner in 01 and 03

I have to give a special mention to the hot pink packaging too! Especially the tin packaging and magnetic closure of the foundation stick and the slide mechanism on the blush! So satisfying and you won't lose these easily in your makeup bag!  

The prices are reasonable for the size and quality of the items ranging from $54 CAD for the foundation to $30 CAD for the lip liners! Have you tried BASMA Beauty? 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.  

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.  

See my full disclosure here.  

Danielle xx 

If you want to keep up to date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me on 

Instagram | Links and Discounts | Shop My Favourites | Pinterest  

  

Five Things I’m Loving | March 2021

I know there are a few days left but March has absolutely flown by! And, as of today, I am beauty purchase free for the month so no spending report from me, yay! Instead, I thought I would share some recent favourites! 

 

The priciest item I have today was kindly sent over by Dermalogica and it’s their Neck Fit Contour Serum* RRP £75. Now, having a dedicated neck serum is not a necessity for everyone, but, since turning 30, I am increasingly interested in products targeted towards aging skin. Neck skin is thinner and more delicate than the skin on your face as well as being more vulnerable to UV damage especially if using fragrance. Finally, and my main issue – the skin on your neck is more prone to creasing from tech neck and constantly looking down like me with my phone and iPad! The serum claims to lift and tighten, smooth fine lines and protect skin against pollution while delivering retinol-like results and strengthening the skins moisture barrier. I cannot get over the difference in my neck since using this! First off, the roller applicator is so cooling and relaxing to apply, it dispenses the perfect amount and then you turn the nozzle off and continue to roll in. It really has targeted the creases I had been noticing more and more and my neck has never felt so soft, smooth and toned and those fine lines are nowhere near as noticeable anymore! I cannot recommend this enough if you are concerned about aging skin on your neck and I can’t wait to see continued results from more use!

 

Moving from the most to least expensive of the items I want to tell you about today and the Good Molecules Yerba Mate Wake Up Eye Gel* RRP $6 has slotted in very nicely as my current eye gel! Yerba Mate is a tree from South America and a source of antioxidants and polyphenols which help to slow the appearance of aging caused by UV rays. It also contains peptides, caffeine and hyaluronic acid so works to hydrate and revitalise tired, puffy eyes. The gel is so cooling and sinks in easily making it a perfect base under makeup. My skin is hydrated, bags are depuffed and look brighter and I am also obsessed with the fun, bright packaging! This also featured in my Best Budget Skincare post! 

 

 

Next up, the newest foundation to my collection, the NARS Soft Matte Complete Foundation RRP £28 and one I have been wearing constantly since I got it! NARS claims that it is oxidation proof and provides full, natural looking coverage and I would have to agree! Coverage is definitely full but not cakey and while it provides a matte finish it still lets some natural shine come through without the base disintegrating! It claims to last 16 hours though I haven’t had any reason to test it that long but it lasts well throughout a day of work and my mask being on and off! It also comes in a very generous 45ml size and I love the squeezy bottle! NARS recommend applying with fingers but I apply with a damp BeautyBlender and don’t think this has affected the coverage or finish! I plan to do a full review of this later in the year once I am off Roaccutane and my skin becomes more oily again so I can test how it performs fully as at the minute I would class my skin as “normal”. See the haul it was included in in my Beauty Spend Report forJanuary! 

 

Sticking with NARS and an oldie but a goodie - NARS Laguna Bronzing Powder RRP £30. A bronzer with a subtle golden shimmer running through it, this has been a favourite of mine for years since it was included in the Steven Klein palette way back when! I upgraded to a single pan in Sephora a couple of years ago and it’s been used regularly ever since! I neglected it recently as I was trying to hit pan on my Fenty bronzer which I was successful in (woohoo!) so I have set my sights back on this one as its already got a pretty good dip in the pan. It really gives the most natural, sunkissed warmth to my face and also adds a little contour without looking harsh. It is such a fool proof shade for lighter complexions and is so flattering on the skin! It is easily buildable, and leaves a beautiful healthy glow! A must have in your makeup bag if you ask me! I have another review of it here along with the matte version! 

 

Last but not least, the Sand&Sky Enzyme Powder Polish* RRP £44.90 deserves a shout out as it’s such a beautiful gentle exfoliator that has been perfect for my skin while on Roaccutane. The powder is ultra-fine, full of antioxidants and on contact with water it turns pink! It doesn’t feel gritty at all which is amazing for me at the moment as I can’t use anything too harsh but my skin always looks smoother and brighter after use and never looks red or feels tight or dry! It is very similar to Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and Good Molecules Pineappple Exfoliating Powder but this is the gentler of the three! 

 

 

 

So that’s my current favourites! Let me know if you have tried any of these and what your favourite products are right now!

 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own. See my full disclosure here.

 

Danielle xx

 

If you want to keep up to date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me on

Bloglovin | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

 

 

 

Makeup | Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Bronzer Review

Today, I thought I would add my two pence on one of the many new additions to Charlotte Tilbury’s makeup line – the Airbrush Bronzer in 2 Medium! I lusted after this all summer but just couldn’t bring myself to spend £39 on it and I find CT discounts are usually capped at 10% off or the brand is excluded altogether. I finally made the purchase when Space NK did their £15 off a £60 spend and made the most of the discount with a few other purchases too! Update: Get 15% off your first order at Charlotte Tilbury with my discount code: CT-SOCT8QXLOF9

 

First off, this is the largest bronzer I own by a mile, at 18g it’s a whopper! No risk of me hitting pan or running out any time soon so I guess that price tag becomes a little easier to swallow! By comparison, NARS Laguna is 8g and Fenty Sun Stalkr is 6.23g. With only four shades, it’s not the most inclusive and I have to say that the second shade Medium is not actually as dark as I was expecting and I wondered if I could have got away with 3 Tan which is a little shocking considering how fair/pale I am! 

 

 

Not being as dark as I expected is not necessarily a bad thing as it means I can easily build up the colour. The powder is very finely milled and I wouldn’t say its hugely pigmented – again not a bad thing in my eyes – and this really does give a beautiful airbrushed finish as the name would suggest. It’s smooth to apply, gives my face some subtle warmth and blends seamlessly into the rest of my makeup leaving no harsh, hard to blend lines. It’s matte too but not flat and I really am blown away with the formula!

 

Not sure why I sound so shocked as I love all the Charlotte Tilbury products I have and in particular the bronze shade from Bronze and Glow is a long term favourite of mine! The only thing I would say is that on my oily/combo skin I do notice some slight fading/wearing off close to my ear where I am on the phone for work. This isn’t something that’s noticeable to other people and is a recurring problem I have with all bronzers not just this one! 

 

The compact itself, apart from being a bitch to photograph, is absolutely beautiful, it’s like a giant shell! It’s size doesn’t make it feel overly heavy and it’s sleek and got a good size mirror too. I don’t want to jinx myself but I feel like if I dropped it the powder would break in an instant so let’s hope I don’t get butter fingers! 

 

I’ve included some unedited swatches with some of my other bronzers so you can get an idea of how the shade compares, hopefully it helps! I am forever looking up swatches of products I am interested in especially now when I can’t get to test them out at the actual counter! If you like these types of reviews check out my NARS Laguna one too! 

 

Have you tried this bronzer? Dont forget you can get 15% off your first order at Charlotte Tilbury with my discount code: CT-SOCT8QXLOF9

Let me know your thoughts or tell me what your favourite Charlotte Tilbury product is! 

 

Danielle xx

 

If you want to keep up to date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me on

Bloglovin | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

 

 

 

Makeup Review | NARS Laguna Bronzing Powder Original vs Matte

Today, I thought I would do another post centred around one of my most recent buys as well as one of the more well used products in my makeup collection – NARS Laguna bronzing powder. When I first saw they were releasing a matte version I knew I wanted to get it as the original is one of my favourite bronzers! 

The original is described as a diffused brown with a golden shimmer and I first fell in love with it back when I got the Steven Klein face palette – anyone remember that? Anyway I upgraded to a single NARS Laguna last year in Sephora as whilst I love the palette, it’s heavy for travelling and I wasn’t making use of all the shades in there. I find it such a fool proof shade, not too warm so can be used as a contour as well as a bronzer and while it has a shimmer, this is so subtle and flattering and not glittery at all! It is so easily buildable, impossible to go overboard with and leaves a beautiful healthy glow!

Laguna Matte is described as a warm brown and although from the swatches they look similar I would say it definitely feels warmer on the face. I think this could also be down to the fact my original bronzer is so well used it’s not as pigmented now (which personally I prefer as it means I can slowly build up colour). I’ve been using the matte version now for about two weeks and it’s still hella pigmented even after tapping off so I’m being careful not to go overboard! 

Both bronzers have beautiful formulas and feel smooth to apply while being easy to blend. They work so well to add definition to my face as well as a subtle glow (especially the original) and the powder is so finely milled and not chalky at all. They also each come in four shades and I have the second lightest! Oh and don’t they have the most chic packaging? Matte black, swoon – although if you own any NARS products yourself you will know how quickly they get grubby! 

l-r: NARS Laguna orignal, NARS Laguna matte 

l-r: Physician's Formula Bronzer, NARS Laguna orignal, NARS Laguna matte, Tarte Park Ave Princess, Fenty Inda Sun

 

I’ve included a few other swatches of other bronzers I own unedited although I really don’t think they are doing any of them justice! Overall the OG NARS Laguna bronzing powder remains my favourite and the matte version has not yet knocked Fenty Inda Sun off the top spot in my eyes for matte bronzers! 

I picked the newest addition up from Look Fantastic with 20% off making it a much more reasonable £24.80 than its usual price of £31! I rarely pay full price for makeup and if you like you can read more about my favourite UK beauty sites and how to save money here! It’s an old post but still applies!

 

2026 update - NARS have consolidated and reformulated their bronzer lines - the new formula is designed to be talc-free, buildable, and features a natural finish rather than matte or shimmery! The oringial Laguna shade is now Laguna shade 02!

 

If you like this post you might also like my review of the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Bronzer! 

Have you tried Laguna or Laguna Matte? Tell me your favourite bronzers! 

Danielle xx

If you want to keep up to date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me on

Bloglovin | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Best Beauty Box Finds #1

Beauty boxes are probably my favourite way of trying out new products without having to commit to a full size or spend a lot of money on a product I don’t know will like. My favourite boxes are the kind that show you exactly what you are getting so although there are a few subscription boxes here, I don’t subscribe every month to a beauty box. I go for ones that show you what you are getting or at least give a spoiler of one of the products!

Origins Original Skin Retexturising Mask with Rose Clay from the Latest in Beauty Mix and Mask British Beauty Blogger Collaboration

When I got the email about this collaboration in July I hit buy then and there! I love the Origins masks I already have so was excited to try more and I have become obsessed with this one in particular! It’s a pink clay formulation with jojoba beads that dries in quickly and when I rinse it off I am left with much smoother, clearer looking skin! I have problems with texture on my skin anyway as it is scarred from acne when I was younger and though my skin is mainly oily I get dry patches too so this is the most perfect all-rounder and one I will definitely be repurchasing a full size of!

Vita Liberata Trystal Self-Tanning Bronzing Minerals from the Latest in Beauty Glamour Summer Edit 2015

This bronzer and kabuki brush were included is last year’s summer edit with Glamour magazine and despite the bronzer being one of the messiest makeup products I own because it’s a loose powder, it gives a gorgeous warmth to my face when I use it! The tan is meant to last for up to five days which I can’t say I agree with but I do use some form of chemical exfoliant on my face every day so maybe that’s why? The sample size has lasted me ages but although I really like the shade of this and am happy I got the chance to try it because of a beauty box, I wouldn’t repurchase it as it is so messy and the full size is £35.

MOA Aphrodite Oil from the Blogger Beauty Box

I was so happy to see this included the first time I bought the Blogger Beauty Box as I absolutely love my MOA The Green Balm, rosehip oil and it’s a full size product! I love applying this at night before I go to bed and my skin always feels so hydrated and nourished and always looks better the next morning! This is just as good as the Trilogy and Pai rosehip oils and perfect for those with acne scarring too! The Blogger Beauty Box is run by blogger Vix Meldrew and is only £10 a month!

The Balm Put a Lid On It eyelid primer from the Cohorted March 2016 Beauty Box

When I saw The Balm Nude Tude palette was the spoiler for the March box I subscribed to the Cohorted box (then unsubscribed before I forgot and got charged for the next month’s box) as I had seen it included the year before and was gutted to miss it! Now I’m the first to admit I have a lot of eyeshadow palettes and because of this and my love for mattes, the Nude Tude palette doesn’t get as much love as it should from me. The matching primer however gets used every other day on rotation with the NARS Smudgeproof primer and works great at mattifying my eyelids and making my eyeshadow last longer! The tube looks small but this will last forever because you only need a tiny bit for each eyelid!

Aurelia Miracle Cleanser from the Latest in Beauty Glamour Summer Edit 2016

Another pick from Latest in Beauty - can you tell they do my favourite boxes! I've had a few of these mini Aurelia cleansers now and they are always a selling point for me when I see them in beauty boxes! It’s a cream cleanser with eucalyptus, chamomile, bergamot and rosemary and very similar to Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. I apply to dry skin and buff it off with a muslin cloth and it does a brilliant job of removing my makeup and leaving my skin feeling refreshed and super soft. The mini is perfect for taking a bit of luxury with you on holiday too! The full size is quite expensive so I can’t justify buying it as I do have quite a lot of cleansers to get through but it would be such a gorgeous treat for someone!

So that is part one of my favourite beauty box finds! I buy beauty boxes quite regularly so I can imagine this might become a new series for me! I've linked the products on their own as the beauty boxes I've mentioned are sold out now but I’ve also linked the websites so you can see what’s included in their latest beauty box if they have one!

Do you like beauty boxes? What’s been your favourite product you’ve received in one?

Danielle xx

Bloglovin | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest

Face Off

Anyone else have a thing for do it all face palettes? Here are two new ones to my collection and a rundown of my thoughts on them!

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette (£49)

I finally caved and bought my first Charlotte Tilbury products about a month ago after seeing this palette online. I had held off buying any CT products up until now because the prices are extortionate but I love palettes like this as they give you the chance to try a few products from the brand in one go so I bit the bullet and ordered it! First things first this, the palette is small, smaller than it looks! It is split into different steps so steps 1, 2 and 3 are for brightening, enhancing and smoking out the eye, step 4 is for bronzing, steps 5 and 6 are for a swish and pop of blush and step 7 is highlight.

 I have to say that I am disappointed by the eyeshadows – they barely show up on my fair skin and the first two aren’t different enough in colour for me. They are super finely milled though, blend well and don’t crease – you just can’t see much of a contrast between the shades!

As well as this, the blushes are not as pigmented as I would like them to be and the size of the pans is disappointing – they are the same size as the eyeshadow pans and I would have preferred smaller eyeshadow pans if there was a way to make the blush pans bigger. Again the formula feels lovely and they do always say it’s easier to add than take away which is definitely something to stick to when it comes to blush!

Onto the positives - I LOVE the bronzer and highlighter. Way more than I thought I would! These are meant to be the same shades as the infamous Bronze and Glow which I don’t have to compare but I do know that I absolutely love this combo! I’ve been using the bronzer under my cheekbone to contour as well as over the high points on my face for a bit of an all over colour and it’s so subtle but noticeable if that makes sense? It looks very warm toned in the swatch but on my face it looks so natural, I love it!

I’ve then been using my Morphe fan brush to very lightly highlight my cheekbones and I love the effect, super subtle as I use a light hand but I’m sure you could go heavy handed and still look amazing!

This is more than I would usually spend on a palette this size considering pan size but the quality of the products is lovely. I do wish there was more variation in the eyeshadow shades though and this palette might not be an option for those with darker skin as you do have to build up quite a lot of product to see a result but it does hit the natural beauty term it’s aiming for on the head.

I ummed and ahhed for weeks before splurging and it is limited edition so not available at the minute but who knows, it could make a reappearance in the future – and hopefully with some new darker shades!

Stila Perfect Me, Perfect Hue in Light/Medium (£28)

Unlike the CT palette, this is one that does come with different shade variations! The one I have is Light/Medium and you might have seen it featured in my last wishlist post. I wasn’t actually planning on buying it, however, Cult Beauty had a GWP (I’m a sucker for offers and the last 2 have been amazing!) so even though basically everything I needed wanted was out of stock I still found my basket full and this was in it!

Now I’m not a massive fan of the Stila products I have tried in the past – the lip glazes and In the Light palette being massive disappointments for me - but when I saw these Perfect Me/Perfect Hue palettes I got heart eye emoji’s.

l-r: Artistic (base), Dazzling (highlight), Ambitious (lid), Spontaneous (crease), Mischievous (liner)

Five eyeshadows and 2 blushers for £28 seemed like a decent price point and once I had a swatch I could feel the quality! The shadows are silky soft with good pigmentation although again I wish there was more of a mid-tone shade option instead of two very light shades. The shimmer colour (Ambitious) is not as warm toned/orange in real life as the swatch and I don’t normally wear shimmer during the day but this is nice and subtle and quite golden.

l-r: Charming, Angelic

Again, this palette is smaller than I was expecting and the packaging was plastic so it feels a bit cheap, I was expecting it to be metal for some reason, I think because of the colour of the casing, but I can’t fault the formulation! The blushers are lovely and pigmented too and I love that they are both matte shades.

Overall, I really like both palettes for different reasons but I find that with the Charlotte Tilbury palette, I am reaching for mainly the bronzer and highlighter and passing on the eyeshadows in particular. The Stila palette is much more affordable and I love the fact they have thought through a range that caters to more than one skin tone.

So those are the two newest face palettes to my collection, have you tried either? What did you think?

Danielle xx

Bloglovin | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest